Polls close in historic Indonesian vote

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Indonesians flocked to the polls today in the country's first direct presidential election, which is expected to topple incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Voting was closed at 1:00 pm Jakarta time in the sprawling archipelago that spans three different times zones and includes more than 17,000 islands.

Four of the five presidential aspirants, including front-runner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, retired army commander-in-chief General Wiranto, Megawati and incumbent vice president Hamzah Haz cast their ballots in the capital.

The fifth contestant, Amien Rais, voted in Yogyakarta, Central Java.

Both Yudhoyono and Wiranto expressed confidence of winning sufficient support to enter a second round scheduled on September 20, if necessary.

"As long as no irregularities occur, I believe I will pass," Yudhoyono told reporters, noting that various opinion polls had tipped him to be the popular favourite.

Wiranto, who has been indicted for war crimes allegedly committed in the 1999 bloodbath in East Timor, was similarly upbeat.

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"Insya Allah (God Willing) I will advance into the second round. I'm optimistic about this," Wiranto said.

Incumbent Megawati, one of the world's least outspoken presidents, did not comment after casting her vote, and according to opinion polls has a slim chance of rewinning her job.

Former security minister Yudhoyono, a retired four-star general, has proven the darling of all opinion polls since mid-March 2004, when he announced his intention to contest the presidency and set up the Democrat Party as his political vehicle.

According to the latest opinion survey, some 43.5 per cent of the Indonesians polled put Yudhoyono as their preferred presidential candidate.

The same survey found incumbent President Megawati was the first choice of 11.7 per cent of the people, while Wiranto got 14.2 per cent, and religious figures Rais and Haz received 10.9 and 2.4 per cent, respectively.

Despite his popularity, Yudhoyono will need to win a majority of the undecided votes, estimated by pollsters to be 17 per cent of the electorate.

The run-off election, if necessary, will be held on September 20 between the two most popular teams.